Because I feature a recipe section in
each of my Seasons of the Heart
books, lots of people ask me questions about Amish cooking and recipes. I’m
going to let you in on a little secret! I love
to cook! And while I have perused many Amish cookbooks to feature “authentic”
recipes in my stories, you know what? Amish recipes aren’t any different from
the dishes I’ve been cooking for most of my life! Amish cooks don’t always use
as many seasonings as I prefer, but otherwise—right down to using convenience
foods like cake mixes and Cool Whip—I’ve noticed little difference between
traditional Amish fare and mine.

WINTER OF WISHES features a lot of stick-to-your-ribs
comfort food recipes for the colder weather, and one of them—guaranteed to make
your whole house smell fabulous—is this recipe for chewy, cinnamon-scented
oatmeal cookies. I call them Rhoda’s cookies because she makes them for the
children in this story—just as I often tweak the name of a recipe when I
include it in my books.

I prefer to use the old fashioned “rolled” oats in
everything I bake, but the quick-cooking version will work fine, too. This
recipe is a lifelong favorite of my nieces and nephews, always moist and chewy,
with lots of raisins, nuts, and cinnamon. So now I’d like to share it with you! For even more yumminess, go to my
website at www.CharlotteHubbard.com
to see the recipes included in all of my Seasons
of the Heart books.

Rhoda’s Oatmeal Cookies

1 C. sugar

1 C. brown sugar, packed

1 C. butter or margarine, softened

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 C. flour

1 tsp. each of salt and baking soda

1 T. cinnamon

3 C. old fashioned rolled oats

1 C. chopped nuts

1 C. raisins

Preheat oven to 350º. Cream the sugars and butter/margarine,
then mix in the eggs and vanilla. Add in the flour, salt, baking soda and
cinnamon and mix well. Add in the oats, nuts, and raisins—your dough will be
moist but stiff. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto cookie sheets covered with
parchment paper. Bake for 10-13 minutes, or until just starting to brown. Makes
about 5 dozen. These freeze well.

Kitchen Hint: As you spoon the dough onto the cookie
sheets, leave it in rounded mounds so the cookies stay moister. Don’t overbake!
You can also substitute dried cranberries or other dried fruit chunks for the
raisins.

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"Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it. It enriches the necessary competencies that daily life requires and provides; and in this respect, it irrigates the deserts that our lives have already become." -C.S. Lewis